Would You Support a Montana Bee Incentive?

Here's a fun fact for you... in 2016 Montana ranked 2nd in the nation for honey production. How cool is that? However, various studies are raising the alarm that global bee populations are in danger.  Some believe climate change is the cause, others blame overuse of pesticides as part of the problem. The loss of certain types of bees means that we'll also lose plant life that relies on the bees to pollinate.

Anyway, I keep seeing a Facebook post that claims Cheerios will send you free wildflower seeds, in an effort to help save the bees. While the post was true, the promotion was from two years ago and is no longer valid. The state of Minnesota is doing something pretty cool to help. In 2019 they allotted almost $1 million in funding to encourage homeowners to plant wildflowers, clover and native grasses.

Would you participate if Montana offered similar incentives? I'm already considering turning most of my backyard into native grass and wildflowers this year. Not because I'm lazy and hate mowing (okay, maybe a little bit), but because I think Americans obsession with perfectly manicured lawns is pretty ridiculous. The amount of water, time, fertilizer, pesticide and mowing seem like a pretty big waste of resources to me. Especially since we live in a semi-arid climate.

For more on bees visit the American Bee Project.